In areas where hard water is present, water softeners are frequently used. Typically, a water softening tank contains an ion exchange resin. During water service, fresh, relatively hard water is introduced into the inlet, passed through the ion exchange resin, and it exits via the outlet to a service location. Occasionally the ion exchange resin must be regenerated. To this end, a brine solution is introduced into the inlet, it flows through the ion exchange resin and exits the outlet from which it is pumped to drain. When the regeneration is completed, a valve switches the outlet line to service.
If the water softener has not been used for a certain amount of time, the possibility of a contamination problem exists. For example, in a water softener that is inactive, contaminants may build up in the resin. Further, as a result of the water in the softener tank being stagnate for a certain amount of time, the stagnant water may become contaminated. If the ion exchange resin is contaminated or if the water in the softener tank is contaminated, the initial amount of service water that flows may also be contaminated. It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a water softening system in which the contamination problem is alleviated.
Although the illustrative embodiment of the invention is directed to a water softening system, the present invention also concerns other systems for treating water, such as filtering systems, reverse osmosis systems, etc.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.